Daniel 9

Am I on? No, I've got to turn it on. No, no. Good. How about now? Can you hear me? Yes.

Good. Alright. Hey, we're looking at Daniel chapter 9 this morning, continuing our series

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

in the Old Testament book of Daniel.

So lately Beth and I have been doing quite a bit of pre-marriage counseling, which we

love doing with couples. And one of the topics that we always cover is the topic of expectations.

What expectations, preconceived ideas, assumptions, hopes are you bringing with you into this

relationship? We try to uncover those. Because nothing can cause conflict or disappointment.

Or even despair in a relationship that seems faster than unarticulated and unaddressed expectations.

So you need to talk about them. And more often than not, couples need to adjust them to reality.

But you know, the same is true in spiritual life. What sort of expectations ought we to

have in our life with God? This is actually something of vital importance because much like a young,

nice couple with unbeautical expectations, we can end up in disappointment or turmoil or frustration

or even despair. But thankfully we have texts like the one we're looking at this morning.

Daniel chapter 9, which helps us to be moving on the way, which helps us to shape the right

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

expectations for what our life with God will look like as we pursue His kingdom as a church

in the midst of the kingdoms of this world. So if you haven't done so already, turn to

Daniel chapter 9. It's page 747 in the Pew Bible. If you look there, you'll notice that the outline

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

of Daniel 9 is actually quite simple. It shows us first a prayer that we need to pray, and

then it will show a second an answer that we need to hear. A prayer that we need to pray,

and an answer we need to hear. So let's dive in first. A prayer we need to pray. Let's read

the first half of chapter 9, starting in verse 1 and heading in verse 19. In the first year

of Darius, the son of Hoshveros, by descent Amid, who is made king over the realm of the

Calvians, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number

of years that according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet must pass before

the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years. Then I turned my face to the Lord

God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I pray

to the Lord my God in made confession, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps

covenant and steadfast love of those who love him and keep his commandments. We have sinned

and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

We have not listened to your servants and prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,

and our fathers, and all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness,

but to us hope and shame. As at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, and all the lands to which

you have driven them because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us,

O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we

have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we've

rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in

his walls, which he set before us by his servants and prophets. All Israel has transgressed your

law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oaths that are written

in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned

against them. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers

who rule us by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been

anything done like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses,

all this calamity has come upon us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our

God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has

kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us. For the Lord our God is righteous in all

the works that he has done. And we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God,

who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name

for yourself as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to

all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city, Jerusalem,

your holy hill, because of our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers. Jerusalem and your

people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now, therefore, O God, listen

to the prayer of your servant who is pleased from her seat. And for your own sake, O Lord,

make your face to shine upon your sanctuary which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear

and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations in the city that is called by your name. For

we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great

mercy. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not for your own sake,

O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.

Amen. A few years ago, the writer, Anne Lamott, wrote a little book on prayer called Help,

Thanks, Wow, The Three Essential Prayers. And of course, those three prayers are certainly

essential. It's not a bad way of capturing their essence either. Help, the prayer of supplication

and petition, asking God for what we and others need and realizing our dependence upon

him. Thanks, the prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude, acknowledging that every good gift

comes from God and giving him the credit that says do. And then, of course, wow, the prayer

of adoration to God. The prayer of loving all simply for who God is. But you know, in Lamott's

catalog of prayer, actually, something's missing. A prayer that's actually utterly essential

to having a real, vital relationship with God. And that prayer is the prayer of confession.

Of admitting our sin before God and asking for mercy. Now, maybe you have a hard time with

the idea of confession. On one hand, if you come from a religious background, maybe the thought

of confession conjures up the thought for you of sitting in a tight wooden stall, a confessional,

talking through a screen, praying great prayers, and doing a lot of anti-religious activity.

Well, who's all that? On the other hand, maybe the idea of confession just makes you think

of being pummeled down with a bunch of false guilt. And of course, there is such a thing as

false guilt, to be sure. Like when we take responsibility for things that are beyond our control.

Like a parent who blames him or herself for the waywardness of their child, even though

they've been faithful to the parent. Or more often, false guilt comes when we constantly

compare ourselves to others. And then we beat ourselves up, thinking that we should have

or be able to do what we see others around us doing. And so we feel guilty of making them

accuse ourselves because we're measuring ourselves up to these human standards.

But you know, none of this is what the Bible has in mind when it calls us to confession,

to repentance. It's not an empty ritual. It's not wallowing in false guilt. No.

It's actually the God-given means of dealing with our broken relationship with God and then

with one another. Confession, you see, is the path to reconciliation and to change.

After all, if there is such a thing as false guilt, there's also such a thing as real guilt.

As the great angelic prayer of confession puts it, most merciful God, we confess that

we have sinned against you and fought word and deed by what we have done and by what we

have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors

as ourselves. You know, if we're honest, and if you and I are through with playing spiritual

games, none of us can say that we have no need of confession. I'm reminded here of C.S.

Lewis' opening chapter of your Christianity where he says that we've all broken the rule

all. And then he says in the tongue-in-cheek, now if there are any exceptions among you, I apologize

to them. They had better read some other book. You had better listen to some other servant.

For nothing I am going to say concerns them. And now, turning to the ordinary human beings

who are left. Indeed. Turning to us ordinary human beings who realize that we need a prayer

confession. But who also need help in learning how to pray it. We come to Daniel 9. Let's look

at these verses again. In verse 1, the scene opens in 539 B.C. The Babylonians have just

fallen to the Persian Empire. Darius the Mede pulls over the city of Babylon. And in verse

2, Daniel, reading the prophet Jeremiah, realizes that the time of exile is about to come to an

end. Now what would Daniel have been reading in the book of Jeremiah? I want to be able

to think of that. Well, think of a verse like Jeremiah 25 and 11 and 12. Jeremiah says,

In the people of Israel, you shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And after 70 years

are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their indignity, he declares

the Lord. And perhaps Daniel would have also been meditating on Jeremiah 29. Listen to verses

10 through 14. For thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit

you. And I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place where I know

the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil to give you

a future and a hope. That verse sounds familiar, doesn't it? Then you will call upon me and come

and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all

your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. And I will restore your fortunes

and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I've driven you, declares

the Lord. And I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Amazing. Decades before, Jeremiah 3, God's world were new and settled in this period of exile.

And here is the Lord reading these promises from God's word, knowing that the time is near,

and he responds by praying. Which is something Daniel does a lot of in this book, doesn't

he? He's always praying. He's praying when he needs wisdom. He's praying when he's in

trouble. He's praying regularly three times a day he prays. But why does he pray a prayer

of confession here? Why not a prayer of adoration? God, you're going to do it. It's here. Why

not a prayer of thanksgiving? Yes, the end has finally come. No, it's a prayer of confession.

Daniel prays that way because ultimately it wasn't Babylon that put Israel in that God.

It was God. This is how the whole book of Daniel begins, you remember, because Israel broke

God's gracious covenant again and again. Chapter 1, verse 2, the Lord gave them into Nebuchadnezzar,

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. As we'll see in a minute, the law of Moses warned the

people that if they broke faith with God, he would drive them into exile, hand them over

to their enemies. You can look up Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. There God warns Israel

the curses that would fall on them if they preached the covenant. But God also promised, again

in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30 and in 1 Kings 8 when Solomon dedicates the first

temple. And from the text of Jeremiah we just read, God promises that in exile the people

would turn to him in confession and repentance and he would forgive their sins and bring them

home. And so here is Daniel living in the middle of this unique moment in redemptive history

on the cusp of God bringing his people home from captivity. But even though Daniel's situation

is unique, you know, his prayer is still instructive for us. It's still here to teach us. So what

then does a genuine prayer of confession look like? I think we see three parts here in verses

3 through 19. Let's look at them each briefly. First, a genuine prayer of confession looks

like acknowledging the truth about God and about us. This is verses 4 through 10. Look at how

Daniel speaks of God here. Great and awesome. Verse 4, if you haven't King James, great and

terrible. He keeps covenant and steadfast love. Verse 4, to him belongs righteousness. Verse 7,

14, 16. To him also belongs mercy and forgiveness, verse 8 and 19. And for the first time in the

whole book of Daniel, which is really surprising, for the first time in the whole book of Daniel,

in this chapter alone, God is called upon, is spoken of by his covenant name. By the name that he

revealed to Moses and the burning bush out of the Lord. Capital L, R-D in our English translations.

I am who I am. Verse 4, 8, 10, 13, 13. You see, it all begins with a right view of God.

The God of the Bible, the one true God, friends, is no doting or an apparent. The God who created

us is no cosmic therapist that we pay to ask us questions and merely affirm us. No, this

God, the true God, is the consuming fire. The perfection of righteousness. The perfection

of mercy. Calvin in the opening of the Institute says that so often the reason we think that

we aren't sinful in need of grace is because we spend so much time merely comparing ourselves

to other people. If we spend all our time only contemplating earthly things, if we only look

for theملider and truly accept aged 12 years later. And then we would like to see the

examine our body, when we can see how state that it looks at us. But when we get a glimpse

of the white, hot blaze of the sun, when we lift our gaze to see the radiance of holiness

and righteousness that is God, then our condition is seen for what it is. Suddenly what once appeared

it is.

Suddenly, what once

appeared bright

is seen murky

and in the of the insane.

Look then at how Daniel speaks

of us.

We have sinned,

verse 5, 8, 11, 15, 16.

That is, we've fallen short in God's purposes

for us. We've done wrong,

verse 5. We've acted wickedly,

verse 5 and 15.

We've rebelled, verses 5

and 9. We've turned

aside, we've gone astray for God's

commandments and rules. We've not

listened to the prophets and obeyed God's

voice, verse 6, 10, 11, 14.

We're guilty of treachery, verse 7.

Transgression, verse 11.

Iniquity, verse 13 and

16.

To us belongs open

shame, verses 6 and

9.

It's quite a picture of that.

A heart one to swallow, perhaps.

Pretty bleak.

But you know, the reason why

the picture is so grim

is because of what God

originally created

us to be.

You see, God

created

every human being

in His own image,

worthy of dignity

and honor

and value.

And that's true of each

one of us,

regardless of race

or gender

or class

or age

or ability.

Humans are the high point

of God's creation

in Genesis 1.

The crowning moment

of God's creation

in the earth.

And that is why

our fallen condition

is so wretched.

We are full of dignity,

God's blown image

bearers,

and yet we rebel

against God.

We ignore God

and the world He has made.

And as a result,

we ruin

our relationships

to one another,

the world,

and even to ourselves.

Friends, look.

Look at the wreckage

we've made

of God's

good world.

Blaise Pascal once said,

in brutal

but honest words,

humans are the glory

and the garbage

of the universe.

And note that Daniel

includes himself

in this picture,

doesn't he?

We have sinned,

he says.

Now think about it.

Daniel is one of the few

figures in the Old Testament

of whom some massive failure

is not reported.

Count all through your mind

most of the main figures.

Abraham,

oops,

there's that whole deal

with Satan,

with Agar,

Jacob,

he didn't really come off

so clean,

did he?

David,

and on and on and on and on.

And yet,

Daniel,

man,

he seems to be

a pretty good guy.

But as we see

in verse 20,

Daniel knows himself

to be guilty as well.

He cannot exclude himself

from this condition.

And he makes

no intent

to excuses.

And that brings us

to the second part

of this prayer,

verses 4 through 10.

Verses 4 through 10

show us that

a genuine confession,

a genuine prayer

of confession

acknowledges

the truth about God

and ourselves.

But then in verses

11 through 14,

the next section,

the genuine prayer

of confession

leads us to confess

the rightness

of God's judgment.

Throughout this section,

11 through 14,

Daniel affirms

that God

was not arbitrary

or capricious

in sending

the people in exile.

God had clearly

warned them

of the law of Moses.

He had sent

the prophets

of them again

and again

to remind

and plead

and warn

the people

of what the law

said.

Generation

after generation,

God was patient

and forbearing

and loving.

And so when judgment

finally came,

Daniel could say

in verse 14,

the Lord our God

is righteous

in all the works

he has done.

Now it's one thing

to admit that God

is holy

and we are sinful.

It's another thing

to admit that God

is just

to judge our sin.

And yet friends,

this is what

real confession

looks like.

It makes no excuses.

It doesn't try

to justify

or minimize

what we've done.

How often

have you heard

of an apology

like that?

I'm sorry

if I hurt you.

I'm sorry

if you do

offense at that.

I'm sorry

that this bad

thing happened.

And yet none

of that

is saying

I was wrong.

A genuine

prayer for confession

puts the reality

full in the face.

You know,

too often

we see sin

as a collection

of missteps

or mistakes.

And deep down

we think

we're basically

good.

Deep down

we're good

in these faults

or flaws

that word

of anger,

that look

of lust,

that spike

of jealousy.

Well,

that's just

me having

a bad day.

I was feeling

under some pressure.

I skipped

breakfast.

But you know,

friends,

the truth

is

that anger,

that lust,

that jealousy,

they're not

some mere mistake

of your true character.

They're actually

a symptom

of a deep

heart condition.

Now they overflow

of the heart

and the mouth

speaks.

All these things

are a symptom

that our hearts

rebelled against God.

And God

is completely

within his rights

to end our

rebellion.

But that's not

where the prayer

ends.

Third,

verses 15

through 19,

a genuine

prayer of confession

leads us

to appeal

for mercy.

And notice

on what grounds

Daniel appeals

for forgiveness.

Look at the end

of verse 18.

We do not present

our pleas

before you

because of

our righteousness

but because of

your great

mercy.

Friends,

why do we go

to God

in confession?

Is the act

of confession

itself

some sort

of righteous

act that God

will reward

with forgiveness?

I've screwed

up all this

other stuff

but at least

I can do

this one

thing.

I can do

this act

of forgiveness

and then

God will

reward me

on the basis

of that act

and then

he'll

forgive me.

No!

Not even

our act

of confession

is something

that God

rewards.

Rather,

and so much

more freeingly,

we go to

God in confession

because we

know that

God is

great

in mercy.

that we

can't

and we

don't

need

to bring

our

unrighteousness

because God

is great

in mercy.

This is what

we've been

studying in the

evening service

in the book

of Ephesians

for the last

couple of

weeks.

In chapter 2,

John has been

preaching about

these opening

verses where

the apostle

Paul says

that we're

spiritually dead

because of

our sins,

but God,

he says,

being rich

in mercy

because of

the great

love with

which he

loved us,

even when

we were

dead in

our trespasses,

made us

alive together

with Christ.

By grace

we have been

saved.

Because of

God's

great

mercy.

And you

see,

friends,

this is what

separates

biblical faith

from pretty

much everything

else.

Because when

you see it,

when you pray

a genuine

prayer of

confession,

you realize

that the

answer to

our problem

isn't found

in our

own

righteousness.

It's not

in our

own

resources,

our own

intentions,

our own

efforts,

our own

resolutions,

not even

in our

own

confession

and

repentance,

but

wonderfully

and amazingly

our answer

comes solely

and totally

and sufficiently

abundantly

from God's

own

great

mercy.

And this

makes genuine

biblical

prayers of

confession,

the prayers

of confession

very different

from all

else too.

Why?

Because even

though the

biblical picture

of our sin

and guilt

are dire

indeed,

and that

makes us

very humble

and very

contrived,

yet we can

also approach

God with

an unheard

of assurance

and confidence

that He will

accept us

and forgive

us

because He

is great

in mercy.

Daniel was

very confident

in God's

mercy in

verse 15,

if you look

at that

verse,

because this

was His

name God

who had

delivered His

people once

already.

This is a

God who had

shown His

steadfast love.

When the

people were

in captivity

in Egypt,

God rescued

them in

the Exodus.

For the

sake of His

great name,

that is to

make known

to all the

world how

great and

awesome He

is.

God's already

done this,

He's already

extended to us

His steadfast love.

And so now

Daniel can call

upon God

knowing that

God has done

it already,

delay not.

For your own

sake, O my

God, for your

city and your

people are called

by your name.

In other

words, let

everyone know

that you're not

like these other

gods.

Let everyone

see how great

glorious you

are.

Let everyone

see how

merciful and

faithful you

are.

Act,

God, for

the glory of

your great

name.

Hear,

forgive,

act.

And friends,

if Daniel

can pray for

mercy with

such urgency

and with

such confidence,

how much

more can we

today?

Daniel looked

back to the

Exodus.

But as

John mentioned

earlier in

her service,

we look back

to the cross.

In the

Exodus, you

remember when

the final plague

came upon

Egypt, when

every firstborn

was going to

die.

The people of

Israel were

told to

sacrifice a

lamb.

And when

God's judgment

came, that

lamb would

serve as a

substitute, the

place of the

firstborn, and

the plague would

pass them

over, and

they would

be saved.

Friends, in

the same way

when Jesus

died on the

cross, he

died as our

substitute, as

the true

lamb of God

for our

sins, so

that we

might be

safe when

God's

judgment

passes by.

That the

blood of the

lamb has

been spilled

for us.

That the

judgment has

been poured

away.

And now

we can

be right,

and can

be safe,

and can

be accepted.

And so

our

goal for

mercy can

be made

with even

greater

confidence

and pain.

Because we've

seen the

fullness of

God's great

mercy on the

cross, where

the love of

God was

expressed

fully when the

Son of God

died for us.

And not just

that, but being

raised from the

dead on the

third day, Jesus

now lives to

intercede for

us.

Who could

possibly condemn

us?

Paul writes

in Romans 8,

34, Christ

Jesus is the

one who died,

more than that,

who was raised,

who is at the

right hand of

God, who is

indeed interceding

for us.

Before you

even pray a

prayer of

confession, the

Almighty Savior

has been praying

for you.

So friends, as we

wrap up this

first point, the

prayer we're going

to pray, let me

ask.

Are you

regularly praying

this sort of

prayer to God?

Is this part of

your regular

communion with

God, this sort

of prayer?

Are you taking

your sins and

failures to God,

admitting that

they deserve just

judgment, and

then pleading and

resting in God's

great mercy, that

they have been

forgiven for his

name's sake because

of the crisis of

God?

We're not

talking about

groveling in

guilt, you see.

We're talking

about dealing

with guilt.

Actually dealing

with it.

We're talking

about experiencing

the reconciling

power of the

cross of Christ on

a daily basis, and

feeling the burden

lift, and knowing

our conscience is

clean.

God.

Friends, if this is

not characterized

with regular

communion with

God, start

now.

God.

God.

And do you make

this prayer not

just for yourself, but

for the church

in the whole?

Daniel prayed for

God's old covenant

people.

We too should pray

for God's new

covenant people, the

church.

There are many

sins that we must

corporately confess,

you know.

We can make a long

list of them this

morning, I'm sure.

Pride, self-righteousness,

racism, sexism, a

coldness to the

mission of God,

lethargy, on and

on and off you can

list them out.

Friends, do you

join your voice with

the whole church and

pray for God's mercy

upon us as people, as

a body?

Or do you excuse

yourself?

And think yourself

better than your

brothers and sisters

in Christ.

Well, I'm not like

that.

I'm a little more

than Daniel,

sock of the

spectrum.

Friends, a prayer

for confession is a

great gift.

In fact, it's one of

the marks of genuine

vital Christianity.

One writer put it

this way, what

distinguishes us

from the world is

not that we are

less wicked.

What distinguishes

us from the world is

not that we are

less wicked.

but that by the

grace of God we

have learned to see

our wickedness for

what it is and that

we confess our sins.

The church is the

only body on earth

that confesses sins.

Where the confession

of sin dies out, the

church is no longer

the church.

church.

This is one reason

why Sunday after

Sunday we have a

prayer of confession.

So that we can

constantly come back

to the very heart of

the gospel that our

sins are great.

But the mercy of God

in Christ is even

greater.

Well, let's move

into our second and

our last point.

the answer we need

to hear.

Let's read the

second half of the

chapter, verses 20

to 27.

While I was speaking

and praying, confessing

my sin and the sin of

my people Israel,

presenting my plea

before the Lord my

God from the holy

hill of my God, while

I was speaking in

prayer to thank

Gabriel whom I had

seen in the vision

of the first, came to

me in swift flight at

the time of the

evening sacrifice.

He made me

understand speaking

with me and saying,

O Daniel, I have

now come out to give

you insight and

understanding.

At the beginning of

your please or

mercy a word went

out and I have

come to tell it

to you for you

are greatly loved.

Therefore, consider

the word and

understand the

vision.

Seventy weeks are

to grieve about

your people and

your holy city to

finish the

transgression, to

put an end to

sin, to atone for

iniquity, to bring

an everlasting

righteousness, to

seal both vision

and prophet and to

anoint a most holy

place.

Know therefore and

understand that from

the going out of

the word to restore

and build Jerusalem

to the coming of

an anointed one

of prince, there

shall be seven

weeks.

Then for sixty-two

weeks it shall be

built again with

squares and

open in a

troubled time.

And after the

sixty-two weeks an

anointed one shall

be cut off and

shall have nothing.

And the people of

the prince who is

to come shall

destroy the city

and the sanctuary.

Its end shall

come with a flood

and to the end

there shall be war.

Desolations are

decreed.

And he shall make

a strong covenant

with many for one

week and for half

of the week he

shall put an end

to sacrifice and

offering.

And on the wing

of abomination

shall come one

who makes desolate

until the decreed end

is poured out

on the desolator.

So God sends Daniel

in answer to his

prayer through the

angel Gabriel.

And at first the

answer we need to

hear is a word of

comfort.

Verses twenty

through twenty-three

Gabriel comes in

swift flight with a

word of mercy

telling Daniel you

are greatly loved.

And friends that is

a word of comfort

for everyone who

confesses their sins.

God is eager to

listen and respond

to his people's

prayers for mercy.

Isaiah 65 24 says

before they call I

will answer.

While they speak I

will hear.

Psalm 139 4

even before a word

is of my tongue

oh Lord you know

it all together.

Think of Jesus'

parables of Luke 18

that we read earlier.

If the unjust judge

grants a persistent

plea how much more

our heavenly father.

And when the two

men go up to the

temple to pray it's

not the righteous

Pharisee but the

contrite tax collector

who confesses his

sins and Jesus says

wait then he goes

home justified.

Right.

He goes like.

So friends let these

words sink in.

These words to

Daniel.

Let them sink in

your own heart.

You are

greatly loved.

So it's a word

comfort.

But the answer

we need to hear

is also a word

great promise.

We see this in

verse 24.

Now.

Verses 24

through 27

are a notoriously

tough passage

to interpret.

Some of you

have just been

drumming your fingers

waiting for me

to talk about

verses 24

through 27

and now you're

thinking oh my

gosh this

sword's gotta end

soon.

What is he doing?

Okay.

These verses are

very tough to

interpret.

This is one of

those passages

where scholars

love to pontificate

how challenging

they are.

But the reality

is lots of good

careful faithful scholars

have read these

verses in a variety

of different ways

so we want to

be generous

and we certainly

don't want to

be overly

dogmatic here.

If someone comes

to me and says

I know exactly

what the end of

Daniel 9 means

you should be

suspicious.

And certainly

with the time we

have we won't be

able to go into

all the fine

details and

differences of

those readings

this morning.

If you're

interested in

doing that

grab a cup of

coffee and meet

me in the

fellowship hall

downstairs

after the service.

I'll hang out

down there and I'll

be happy to dive into

all the eschatology

and apocalyptic

eschatology you

want to.

We can throw it

in.

That'd be fine.

I'd be happy to

do that.

That'd be fine.

Come do it.

But what I'm

going to try to

do with the time

that we have left

is I'm going to

just try to capture

the big idea here

because very often

we will lose the

force for the

trains.

And if you

understand this

passage differently

great.

You might be

right.

This is one of

those passages

where we're not

going to get too

uptight if we

put the pieces

together differently.

Well that

preface let me

say that verse

24 is a word

of great promise.

Imagine yourself

in Daniel's shoes

for a moment.

He's just seen

the Babylonian

empire fall.

Jeremiah's

prophesied 70

years are almost

up.

His expectations

must be running

high right?

God is going to

fulfill his promises

soon.

We're going to go

home.

All that stuff that

the prophets

talked about is

going to be now.

It's happening.

But with verse

24 God tells

Daniel that the

ultimate fulfillment

of his redemptive

plan isn't going

to happen at the

end of this 70

years with the

return from exile

but at the end

of 70 times

7 years.

The margin of

the ESV helpfully

lets you know that

the phrase translated

70 weeks could

also be translated

70 seconds.

Now remember how

this part of the

book of David works.

Daniel is writing

in a style,

in a genre,

that we call

apocalyptic literature.

That is,

it's literature that's

heavy with symbolism

and figurative language.

Why?

What's the use of

that kind of literature?

Well not ultimately

so that PhD students

in late night prophecy

hour radio shows

can have endless

debates about exactly

who, what, when,

where, and why

all these little

details will sort of

take place.

No.

God employs this

kind of symbolic

figurative literature

because it helps us

feel the truth

of this stuff

rightly.

When we read about

the four beasts

in chapter 7

we're supposed to

feel a bit frightened.

And when we think

about a goat and a

ram in chapter 8

we're meant to feel

the swift power

and at the same

time the fragility

of these earth

lating notes.

And when we hear

70 times

we're supposed to

feel something too.

But what?

Well I think in order

to know what we're

supposed to feel

we're meant to hear,

we're meant to see

an echo

in this phrase

of an earlier passage

of scripture.

And that earlier passage

is Leviticus 25.

In Leviticus 25

God institutes

the year of Jubilee.

This is what

Leviticus 25 says.

Let me know if this

sounds familiar.

You shall count

seven weeks of years.

Seven times seven years

until the time

of the seven weeks

of years shall give you

49 years.

Then you shall sound

the loud trumpet

on the day,

on the tenth day

of the seventh month.

On the day of atonement

you shall sound the trumpet

throughout all your land

and you shall proclaim

liberty throughout the land

to all its inhabitants.

It shall be a jubilee

for you.

The jubilee year

was supposed to be

every seven times

seven years.

And on the day

of atonement

when God took care

of Israel's sin

and the holy of always

they were to blow

a trumpet

and they were to

set everyone free.

And they were to

release everyone

from them.

And they were to

give back all the land

of the original families

who had lost it.

And they were to let

the whole land

rest from the earth.

You know,

I don't know if Israel

ever actually did that.

We don't know

from history.

It's unlikely they did.

Could you imagine

how radically

countercultural

that would be

economically,

sociopolitically

to institute

in the middle

of a regular

economic and political

life such a

wildly

generous

and gracious

act of liberation.

And friends,

if that's what

was supposed to happen,

if that's what

was supposed to

take place

every seven times

seven,

then what

will God do

when it's

seventy times

seven?

Not just

forty-nine years,

but four hundred

and ninety years.

Do we make it

tenfold

jubilee

or not?

You see,

Daniel's using

these numbers

symbolically

to speak

of something

great.

That's

God.

And the rest

of the verse

tells us

what God

will accomplish.

He'll finish

transgression.

He'll put an

end to sin

and atone

for iniquity.

Imagine that.

Sin done away

with once

and for all.

Every spiritual

burden that

weighs us down,

that attacks

our soul,

that steals

our true

happiness,

that wrecks

our relationship,

that damages

our world,

all of it

will be put

to an end.

And there

will be an

atonement made

so great,

so lasting,

that it never

needs to be

repeated.

Friends,

that would

be an

unruly.

That would

be a real

return from

exile.

That would

be jibily.

But it

doesn't stop

there.

God will

bring in

everlasting

righteousness.

He will

seal,

that is,

he will

authenticate,

he will

fulfill all

that the

prophets had

spoken about

and he

would anoint

the most

holy place.

Can you

imagine a

world where

everything is

right?

Where nothing

is as

it is

meant to

be.

Where perfect

justice rolls

down like

waters,

like an

ever-flowing

stream.

Where every

relationship

and the

order of the

whole creation

is fitting

and beautifully

just like

it's house.

When the

prophets had

visions of

that,

they would

sometimes speak

of the whole

creation bursting

out in song,

of hills and

trees resounding

with joy.

And if

Revelation 21

and 22

give us

any help

here,

then we

can understand

that the

ultimate

anointing

of a

most holy

place is

nothing less

than the

new heavens

and the

new earth.

Whereas

another

Old Testament

prophet,

Zachariah,

says everything

has become

whole to the

Lord,

because the

Lord is

there in

all of

his

fullness,

dwelling in

the midst

of his

people.

God's

God's

God's

telling

Daniel

and us

in verse

24.

He's

telling us

that these

70 years

of exile

and the

return to

Jerusalem

in 538

B.C.,

those are

really just

a foretaste

of something

even greater

to come.

That God's

redemptive plan

is unfolding

towards a

climax that

will make

the great

jubilee

years of

the Old

Testament

look like

a backyard

birthday party

in comparison.

Small

in comparison

to the

celebration

of liberty

that's on

its way.

But with

this word

of great

promise in

verse 24

comes a

word of

preparation

in verses

25 and

27.

The

77s will

unfold in

three periods,

Daniel's

told.

And note

how each

period increases

in turmoil.

The first

period,

the 7

7s,

verse 25,

the first

part of that

verse seems

quite calm.

The second

period,

the 62

7s,

the second

half of

verse 25

is a

troubled

time,

God says.

And the

third period,

the last

7,

verses 26

and 27,

is full

of all

out of

war and

desolation.

But then,

when it

seems like

the desolations

couldn't get

any worse,

God's

decree

is poured

out.

And evil

is judged

and put

away with

once and

for all.

Now,

a ton of

ink has

been spilled

trying to

determine and

figure out the

exact time frame

of these three

periods and

trying to

identify the

various figures.

And roughly

speaking,

there are three

big views.

Some would

see all the

details of

verses 25

through 27

as being

fulfilled in

the second

century B.C.

when the

Syrian ruler

Antiochus

Epiphanes

attacked

Jerusalem

and defiled

the temple.

Others would

see everything

as being

fulfilled in

the first

century A.D.

when Jesus

came as

the Messiah,

was crucified

and risen,

and the

Romans

destroyed

Jerusalem.

Others would

see a

fulfillment of

these verses

partially in

Jesus'

day,

but would

see verse

27 especially

as referring to

events yet to

come,

just before

Christ returns.

And so we

ask,

well,

which is it?

Is this about

Antiochus?

Is this about

the Romans?

Is this about

the end times?

And I think

the answer,

friends,

is all three.

We know from

the context of

the book of

Daniel that the

Antiochus crisis

is at least

alluded to here.

There are

enough similarities

to chapter 8

that we looked

at last week

and chapter 11

that we'll look

at in a couple

weeks to see

a connection.

But at the

same time,

any of the

details don't

quite fit with

that.

Antiochus didn't

destroy the city

for one.

And his

downfall certainly

didn't put an

end to sin

once and for

all and bring

it out of

last righteousness.

Fact,

we know from

the New Testament,

is what Jesus

accomplished in

his personal

work.

So our

sites rightly

look through

this text beyond

the 2nd century

and on to the

1st century AD

where Jesus is

the true

important one who

has come.

He really

does atone

for sin.

He really

does anoint

the true

holy places

in heaven

with the

sacrifice of

his own

self,

as the

letter to

the

Eucharist

tells us.

It's very

interesting,

Jesus himself

in Matthew

25 and

13 tells us

that the

so-called

abomination

that makes

desolate,

that you see

here in

927.

We saw

back in

13,

you see

in 1131,

Jesus says

that that will

find its

ultimate fulfillment

when the

Romans under

Tyrus destroy

the temple

in his own

day in

17,

just after

his own

resurrection.

But still,

as we let

the cosmic

scoop of

the promises

of verse 24

sink into

us,

it seems to

push us even

further still

to the

consummation of

all things

and the

final conflict

with evil

that will

happen when

Christ returns

in the

second time.

So what we

have here in

Daniel 9 is

an example of

Old Testament

prophetic

literature having

multiple

horizons of

fulfillment.

Think of

Isaiah 40,

comfort my

people,

a voice crying

in the

wilderness.

We know

that was

about the

exile,

the return

from exile

on one

hand,

but also

it was

about

Jesus.

And the

New Testament

as Mark

tells us,

two things

at once,

it's the

same here in

Daniel 9.

Multiple

horizons.

There are

multiple

crises on

the horizon

for God's

people.

And so

God gives

Daniel and

us a

message of

preparation.

Preparation

as the

Apostle Paul

said in

the early

churches in

Acts 14,

23,

that it's